Smart beta evolves

The name smart beta originates from Towers Watson and for Tim Unger head of advisory portfolio management at the firm, its key purpose and use by investors is to side step certain expensive fund management products. “It’s enabled investors to substantially reduce the costs of accessing strategies that were largely beta like in nature, but … Read more

ACSI praises 35 companies in ASX 200

The Australian Council of Superannuation Investors (ACSI) has praised the 35 companies on the ASX 200 whose boards comprise of at least 30 per cent women. ACSI is working closely with the Australian chapter of the 30% Club to raise the number of women on boards as part of a revolution in the governance structure … Read more

Sam Sicilia calls for modernisation of growth and defensive definitions

Sam Sicilia, chief investment officer of HOSTPLUS, has called for a revamp in the way balanced funds classify defensive and growth assets, after the fund’s definitions were called into question in a PwC report. Sicilia said the definitions should be updated to account for the contemporary asset allocations where many funds allocate to unlisted assets. … Read more

Trustee of the year Maree O’Halloran talks

Maree O’Halloran was awarded the 2015 AIST trustee of the year award along with Bob Henricks of Energy Super. She stepped down from the HESTA board on June 30 after she left her role as director of the Welfare Right Centre, NSW, which is affiliated to Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) a nominating employer for the HESTA … Read more

Opportunities in Europe

Investors and academics agree that political developments in Greece are important because they may shape how financial markets will respond to future political situations in the Eurozone. But according to Olivier Rousseau, the executive director of the FFR, the French pension reserve fund, there is more hype outside of the Eurozone on the implications of … Read more

HOSTPLUS to open up to SMSFs

HOSTPLUS is to allow other super funds and self-managed super funds (SMSFs) to invest in its recently launched IFM – Australian Infrastructure option. The $18 billion superfund has recently transitioned to a pooled superannuation trust (PTS) structure which will allow others to invest in its direct investment option (DIO) platform. David Elia, chief executive at … Read more

The clear and present challenge of technology

Remember the Pony Express? It linked the American West, town by town, horse by horse. Well, the Pony Express went bust on 26 October 1861, just two days after the telegraph opened up U.S. communications from coast to coast. Speaking to a group of Australian superannuation representatives in New York last month, Brett King – … Read more

Woolworths is John Pearce’s biggest regret

John Pearce has taken the brave step of revealing the investments he got wrong over the last year in his role as chief investment of UniSuper. The fund has an overweight bet on many high yielding Australian shares and while this paid off for Telstra and ASX it has produced an 18 per cent loss … Read more

Rosemary Vilgan resigns

QSuper chief executive officer Rosemary Vilgan has announced she will resign from her role after 18 years at the helm. Vilgan, who will spend her last day in the office on October 23, has spent the past few years on an evangelical push to get QSuper members moved into investment cohorts reflective of their relative … Read more

IOOF head admits issues of misconduct were withheld from the regulator

IOOF’s chief executive Chris Kelaher has confirmed the company did not lodge ASIC breach reports for a number of issues, despite evidence of misconduct inside its research division. Kelaher fronted the Senate Economics References Committee in Macquarie Street, Sydney yesterday, facing stiff questioning about his knowledge of alleged misconduct within its research division. The Senate … Read more

AvSuper launches full in-house financial planning service

AvSuper has extended its financial personal advice service to provide a full in-house financial planning service to members. The $2 billion fund appointed three fully qualified and licensed financial planners last month to serve its 6,500 members in air services (including pilots, air traffic controllers and those working in the airside fire service). They are … Read more